Our proposed research will examine the fate of DNA following uptake by competent Bacillus subtilis. We will investigate the fate of DNA in normal strains and in strains carrying mutations which confer recombination deficiency. We also propose to identify and characterize several proteins which are probably involved in the bacterial transformation process. The information gained in this manner concerning the molecular events which occur during transformation will be used in an attempt to explain the quantitative aspects of linkage and recombination on the basis of molecular mechanisms. This system is viewed as a possible model for the study of viral cell transformation in higher organisms.